


one

by nonbinarywriter



Series: Different This Time [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Canon Queer Character, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Female Character of Color, The Umbrella Academy (TV) Spoilers, Vanya is bisexual fight me, alternative storyline, they both deserved BETTER, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonbinarywriter/pseuds/nonbinarywriter
Summary: i've been the one to lose my time in the smile of a liei'm not looking behindbaby I want to be different this timethis timeHelen and Vanya had their chance... Did they blow it?
Relationships: Helen Cho/Vanya Hargreeves
Series: Different This Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025854
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	one

Vanya did not expect to encounter her in the bathroom that day. Yet it was almost impossible not to recognize her thick, dark hair that brushed the middle of her back. She was always running her fingers through it, laying down a fly away or tucking a strand behind her ear. It was the very action that caught her eye months ago.

The timid violinist knew she should say something, or at least make an attempt. After all, it had been weeks and the tension between them was suffocating. 

“Helen,” she breathed, approaching her with caution. “You were great today… Really, really great.” 

That all too familiar passive aggressiveness was prominent that afternoon. Helen didn’t even meet Vanya’s eyes as she turned away from the mirror to gather her things. “Thanks,” she replied.

“It’s those runs in Stravinsky. I-I’ve been hacking at them for weeks and you just make-”

“Make them look easy?” Helen said, her eyes lazily flicking upward. 

Vanya’s grip on her bag tightened. She knew it was a mistake to say that, yet those were the only words she could muster without her voice wavering. _God, why is this so difficult? It used to be so…_

Helen’s gaze upon Vayna tightened as she examined the brunette’s meak appearance. “What’s your name again?” 

It was as if Helen plunged her hand deep into Vanya’s abdomen and ripped the organs from their home, leaving them to spill over the pristine bathroom floor in a bloody, disappointed mess. 

“Vanya,” she whispered. It sounded more like a question than a truth. 

Helen repeats the name, like it was fresh on her tongue. “And how many years have you been stuck at third chair?” She asks, watching as Vanya’s eyes glossed over and her shoulders hunched. “At a certain point, it’s not about practice, it’s whether you’ve got something special. And maybe you just… _don’t_.”

Vanya could feel her throat getting tighter and tighter. Her mouth was dry and the sweat on her palms sent a fierce shiver through her body. Words she spoke months ago echoed in her head on a loop; words spoke in hopes a fellow violinist would understand. 

_I’ve never felt special._

“You can put in your 10,000 hours,” Helen continued coldly. “Or… you can find something you’re actually passionate about and stop slogging away at Stravinksy like a scared 13-year-old.”

“How can you say that?” Vanya blurted. 

Helen glanced at her flats, shifting uncomfortably against the white tile. “Think it over,” she said.

“No,” Vanya argued. That single word sounded like a mere squeak but she could not just stand there and take the blows like she normally did. This time was different. It was Helen: the girl who sat in front of her for years. The girl who Vanya secretly watched, anticipating the day when their eyes would meet. The girl who Vanya confided in. The girl who was her _friend_ … Despite the memories of Helen that only lasted seconds in her head. Their time together was brief, but it didn’t stop Vanya from thinking about it as she lay her head on her pillow each night.

“How can you say that?” 

“Vanya-”

“After what happened?”

“ _Nothing_ happened.”

Hot tears burned Vanya’s eyes and she longed to throw her back and listen to her own chuckles bounce off the bathroom walls. “Nothing happened,” she repeated in disbelief. 

Shaking her head, Vanya cast her eyes down and fled the bathroom, mustering every ounce of self control she had to force herself to look ahead. She couldn’t bear to turn around and see the pity in Helen’s eyes. 

_I’ve never felt special._

_Oh come on, really?_

_Really._

_Never?_

_Never._

_Well… you’re special to me._

What a crock of shit.

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came to me in the shower where we all get the best ideas... I'm sorry this is so short but there is more to come


End file.
